Mother Earth and Her Fruits

• The Earth is sacred to the Maya and they always ask Mother Earth forgiveness before putting a hoe to the earth or planting a tree. You will see the women frequently sitting on the dirt floor. They identify with Mother Earth, who gives forth life as women do. The men stand or sit on benches (not on the ground), as respect to the women, who are the ones united to Mother Earth.

• Land is an important mark of the Maya identity and the land produces beans and corn.

• Corn is the staple food crop of the Guatemalan population. The Maya eat corn tortillas with every meal, to them it is the bread of life. Although machines are used more commonly now for grinding the corn, it is still not unusual to find individuals using stone tools. The national sound of Guatemala is the sound of the molinos (mills) humming early in the morning, grinding the corn, and the women using that corn to make the tortillas. The women usually walk to the molino twice a day to grind the corn.

• Chiles and fruits are cultivated whenever possible and sold at the weekly village market.

• Chickens, turkeys, or pigs are sometimes found on a Maya farm, but are rarely killed for the table. Occasionally a chicken is cooked for a family feast or for a local festival.